Six British design and creative experts are taking part in a two day design conference - in partnership with three South African design/art institutions - to train and develop students in the creative and practical skills of fashion, jewellery and industrial design. The two-day event, called International Entrepreneur - Design for Africa Project, is taking place at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), in Cape Town.
Karen Millen, acclaimed international designer and founder of The Gateway School of Fashion - an organisation that empowers young people affected by HIV/AIDS to build sustainable lives for themselves and their families - is a keynote speaker. The International Entrepreneur - Design for Africa Project, partly funded by the British Council, is a partnership between the School for the Creative Arts at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, CPUT, the Ruth Prowse School of Art and the BHC School of Design, all from South Africa, with support from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Cape Town Fashion Council.
Shaun Borstrock, a former South African now with the University of Hertfordshire who is responsible for conceptualising the project, says; "As South Africa is rapidly developing its reputation as a creative centre for fashion and design, it is essential that we engage with international partners. The International Entrepreneur - Design for Africa Project will focus on enterprise and entrepreneurship within the creative industries. We will launch the project with a conference where guest speakers from leading design companies will talk about the notion of entrepreneurship and enterprise within a global context and then hold workshops where the sessions will be more intimate and people can engage more closely."
Chairperson of the Education Subcommittee of the Cape Town Fashion Council and lecturer in fashion at CPUT, Bryan Ramkilawan, will manage the project in Cape Town. "We are extremely happy to have a conference of this kind on our shores. We are hoping that it will equip our students and graduates with the enough information so they can make informed decisions about their careers. We would like to see them become entrepreneurs and running their own businesses with as much flair as they do with their designs. The conference's line up includes an exciting and very well placed group of speakers who will be on hand to give tips and advise to the students," he said.
Greg Burne and Martin Schooley, from the Big Active Design Agency and University of Hertfordshire, respectively, will chair a workshop called Portfolio Masterclass. Mark Bloomfield, who is the creative director at Simon Harrison Ltd., will share his expertise in creative direction at a workshop called, ‘A Day to Design...A Fashion Jewellery Collection', and Richard Adams, who is the Course Director of Product & Industrial Design at the University of Hertfordshire will share his knowledge on Lifestyle and Character Profiling.
The conference runs from November 23-24 at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Hotel Room Seminar Room, Granger Bay, Cape Town at 10:00am. For more information please contact Bryan Ramkilawan on 082 202 0862. VOC |
